Ouroboros Spine spring (wild horseradish jam)

She had named the bird.

It came easily to her, once she knew it would survive, once it could rest comfortably upon her shoulders and come to know her name, croak when she entered where she rested.

She named him Akaagigan. For he was beyond, her representation of what lay outside Moonglow. Curiosity itched at her insides every time her companion croaked, every time she caught the herbal scent from his body. It faded as he healed, as the fox skin cured, her fox skin.

She’d killed that fox. Had sat stained with its blood while she worked to save a live. When she had taken another.

Old doe had gone silent. It was just Vairë now. Perhaps it had always been just Vairë. Perhaps Old Doe was just something children imagined, a facsimile of the real world.

She took Akaagigan to fly sometimes. It’s what she was doing now, her eyes distant as she watched the crow circle her head. He was a smart fellow. And she was almost a yearling. Part of her wanted to capitalize on that, go hunt the stars and chase the sun across the sky until her itching paws were satisfied. A bigger part lay here, with her family.

Vairë sighed out a breath.

lómion approached quietly, as he always did.
the bird seems well.
an obvious statement said in a most awkward manner. in truth he did not know what else to say in that moment. vairë’s choice to keep the crow alive rather than eat it still perplexed him. he didn’t know what to make of the thing.
he watched it fly about for awhile and fidgeted in place beside his sister.

For a time, she did not respond to Lómion. But soon, she rolled her gaze from the bird, to her flighty souled brother.

His name is Akaagigan. It’s relaxing to watch him fly. She loved her brother. But things felt…awkward between them ever since she had killed the fox and brought the bird.

Her gaze fell away from the boy beside her, back to the bird. Her words were not her own, when she spoke them, with no real reason to speak them.

Lómion…do you ever feel a need to just. Run? For miles at a time? 

As soon as she said it, she stiffened, body going tight with embarrassment.

I…forget I said that. I don’t know what came over me.

akaagigan.., he repeated softly, it’s a lovely name.
and so silence fell between the siblings again, one he was not capable of filling with words. lómion’s eyes followed his sister’s towards the sky only to fall again once she spoke again. her question would not be glossed over as she’d seemingly hoped.
miles? he turned to her for clarification then shook his head. that… it seems so far. no i— i would not think so. i like it here, i don’t want to go far.
he could not bring himself to think of such a thing. to hear it from his sister’s mouth was a shock.
why? do you think about it?